Vanderbilt (5-7) knocked off Tennessee (4-8) 42-24 on Saturday night to end the Vols’ historically terrible season.
Here are our LIVE notes from the game.
Fourth Quarter
4:00 — Vandy gets the ensuing onside kick. They’ll (mercifully) run out most of the remaining clock on this drive.
4:27 — Touchdown Tennessee. Guarantano finds Wolf in the back of the endzone for a 20-yard touchdown reception.
5:59 — Touchdown Vandy. Webb scores from 20 yards out.
6:51 — Guarantano is intercepted on the next play. Tennessee is about to lose eight games for the first time in school history.
6:44 — Touchdown Vandy. Another slant pattern on the left side from Shurmur to Sherfield. The Commodores lead by 18.
10:20 — Here comes Vanderbilt again. Tennessee can’t stop the downhill running game. The Dores are in the redzone again.
13:03 — Guarantano finds Callaway over the middle on third down but he’s slung down for a net gain of two. The Vols need a quick stop here, otherwise this game is probably over.
14:20 — Shurmur finds Sherfield in the endzone for a 20-yard touchdown. Vandy has the middle of the field wide open every time it drops back to pass.
14:50 — Stop me if you’ve heard this before…Shurmur finds Duncan underneath for another conversion on third down. He’s wide open every single time.
End of the Third Quarter — Vanderbilt 21, Tennessee 17
2:13 — 23-yard gain for Duncan on third down again. Colton Jumper was covering Vanderbilt’s slot receiver there for some reason. 1st & 10 Commodores at the UT 30.
5:20 — Aaron Medley connects on a 49-yard field goal. That’s a career long for him. Tennessee trails 21-17.
Medley +3
That 49-yarder is a career long for him. pic.twitter.com/rN2eVgKyMB
— Rocky Top Insider (@rockytopinsider) November 25, 2017
6:45 — Guarantano hits Johnson over the middle for a gain of 38. That’s a huge conversion. Vanderbilt brought pressure, and Guarantano stood in there and delivered a perfect ball.
8:25 — Another gigantic stop by the Vols’ defense. Shurmur sneaks…and he’s stuffed.
Stuffed.#Vols ball. pic.twitter.com/NTyEhHEqjF
— Rocky Top Insider (@rockytopinsider) November 25, 2017
8:37 — Tennessee’s defense just made Kyle Shurmur look like Johnny Manziel on a third down scamper. He carried for nine yards despite two pass rushers getting in the backfield. 4th & inches from the UT 39.
9:27 — Two plays later, Vanderbilt is in Tennessee territory. Abernathy got burned to the outside on consecutive Ralph Webb runs. He picked up 43 yards on those two runs.
9:57 — Tennessee goes three-and-out quickly again. The Vols have -3 yards since the end of the first quarter. A 61-yard Trevor Daniel punt moves Vandy back to its own nine.
12:06 — Vanderbilt goes for it on third down and Tennessee finally comes up with a big stop. Shurmur barely overthrew targets on third and fourth down. The Vols will get the ball on their own 38-yard line for their opening drive of the half.
13:57 — 25-yard gain from Shurmur to C.J. Duncan on third down. Tennessee cannot guard anybody right now. Baylen Buchanan got burned on that one.
14:55 — Vandy starts with the ball after a 30-yard return by Jamauri Wakefield to start the half.
Halftime: Vanderbilt 21, Tennessee 14
Without a nearly flawless start from Jarrett Guarantano and Brandon Johnson, this would be an abysmal start for Tennessee. Guarantano is 7-for-10, 103 yards, TD. Johnson has four receptions for 76 yards.
But the defense has been terrible. Kyle Shurmur has picked Bob Shoop’s defense apart. He’s 13-for-19, 175 yards and 2 TDs. Ralph Webb has rushed 10 times for 45 yards.
The Commodores have out-gained the Vols 237-151 at the break.
Second Quarter
:20 — Tennessee gets a third down stop for the first time today, but Darrell Taylor is shaken up after the play. 4th & 15 coming up for Vandy at the UT 48.
:27 — Vandy ALMOST scored again. A gorgeous 43-yard connection from Shurmur to Lipscomb is brought back by an ineligible receiver down field flag.
:42 — Now Rashaan Gaulden is hurt. He made a big pass breakup on first down.
1:00 — First down Vanderbilt. Justin Martin was flagged for pass interference, and the wide receiver still made the grab. That honestly takes talent.
1:22 — Ralph Webb is shaken up. 3rd & 6 upcoming for Vanderbilt from its own 45.
1:49 — Just like that, Tennessee goes three-and-out. Guarantano gets sacked twice and is hit as he throws on second down to force an easy incompletion. The offensive line has been decent today, but Guarantano is holding onto the ball for forever.
2:37 — Touchdown Vandy. Kyle Shurmur finds Lipscomb on a flea-flicker for a 30-yard touchdown. The Commodores have their first lead of the game.
3:08 — …and the ‘Dores move the chains. Kyle Shurmur scrambles for a two-yard gain up to the UT 30.
3:44 — 4th & inches upcoming for Vanderbilt after a nice tackle by Rashaan Gaulden.
6:41 — C.J. Duncan makes a big catch up to midfield, but he’s shaken up after the play. Looks like Daniel Bituli may have been hurt as well. He immediately left the field favoring his hand.
8:11 — Johnson finally can’t bring one in. Guarantano throws to the sideline on third down, but Johnson wasn’t able to get a foot in bounds. The Vols will punt for the first time today. Five of Guarantano’s nine passes have been targeted for Johnson. If Vandy can’t limit his touches, it’s really going to make things hard on the Vols’ passing offense.
10:03 — Tennessee had fourth and inches from its own 28-yard line. And then Vandy jumped. First & 10 Vols.
10:16 — Brandon Johnson comes up with another big catch to start Tennessee’s drive. He’s been targeted four times, hauling in every chance he’s been given. And many of those throws have come on the run, with Guarantano throwing across his body to the sideline. So far, this is the best half played by a Tennessee quarterback all season, and I’m not sure it’s close.
11:47 — Ralph Webb jumps over the pile for a two-yard touchdown. It was basically the same exact play the Vols scored on a few minutes ago. We’re all tied up at 14.
13:25 — Vandy is back in the redzone. Quart’e Sapp hits Shurmur late and gets hit with roughing the passer. First and goal for the ‘Dores from the ten.
End of the First Quarter — Tennessee 14, Vanderbilt 7. We haven’t seen a defense get a stop yet. And the Vols have only faced one first down on its opening two drives. Guarantano is 6-for-7, 95 yards and a TD. UT is out-gaining Vandy 148-111 after 15 minutes of play.
1:20 — The Vols offense looks great, but the defense has been terrible to start the game. Vanderbilt is already back in UT territory. Shurmur is picking them apart, completing six of his seven passes for 81 yards so far.
2:50 — Touchdown Tennessee. Kelly plunges in to the endzone from a yard out. The Vols just kept it simple, handing it off to Kelly and letting him dive over the pile for an easy score.
One-yard line ✅
Under center ✅
Give it to Kelly ✅Tennessee Touchdown✅
Vols back on top. pic.twitter.com/CtuOFC1coL
— Rocky Top Insider (@rockytopinsider) November 25, 2017
3:29 — Timeout Vanderbilt. The Vols are on the move again. A gorgeous double move from Brandon Johnson moved Tennessee deep into Vanderbilt territory. UT has first and goal from the seven after the break.
Jarrett Guarantano is out here dropping dimes right now.
3️⃣2️⃣ yards to Brandon Johnson! pic.twitter.com/gjoFBkN3kU
— Rocky Top Insider (@rockytopinsider) November 25, 2017
6:13 — Vandy answers. 8 plays, 75 yards in 3:53 capped off by a nine yard pass from Shurmur to CJ Duncan.
7:30 — And now Vanderbilt is moving the ball with ease. The Dores are down to the UT 12-yard line. Ralph Webb has 18 yards on his first two carries.
Marquez Callaway only needed one hand.
And he made it look easy 👀 pic.twitter.com/cyzTQ0c0JU
— Rocky Top Insider (@rockytopinsider) November 25, 2017
10:06 — Well that was easy. Tennessee marches down the field in 4:54, capped off by a sensational catch in the endzone by Marquez Callaway. UT takes the early lead. Guarantano started the game 4-for-5, 45 yards and a TD. The only incomplete pass was a fade pattern thrown up to Ethan Wolf.
14:55 — Tennessee gets the ball first. Guarantano and company will start their first drive at the 15 yard-line.
Pregame Notes
It looks like Coleman Thomas won’t be able to go today. Ryan Johnson is snapping to Jarrett Guarantano in warmups, which means he’ll be the starting center. Riley Locklear is working with Will McBride, making him the backup.
Brett Kendrick is back for his final game as a Vol. But Jashon Robertson will be out as well in addition to Thomas.
So there’s another thin group controlling the line of scrimmage for Tennessee today.
The starting lineup is interesting. The O-Line will be Richmond-Locklear-Johnson-Smith-Kendrick.
Jarrett Guarantano officially gets the start at quarterback.
Tennessee announces right before kickoff that Kahlil McKenzie will not play today due to injury.
One Response
Absolutely the worst team in my 45 years on this planet….I thank goodness the coaches are gone. I defended this team because of injuries and the coaching. But the truth is, they are not good at all. They are soft, slow, weak and not very talented. They just got Man handled by Vandy…..that says it all right there. Thank God the season is overrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!!!!!!!! Go ahead UT….hire another mid-level coach to fill Neyland….I cant believe what has happened to UT football!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Pathetic Team!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!